ABOUT THE GAME
Off to its first 3-0 start since 2004, No. 12/10 UC Davis launches Big Sky Conference play with a road game at No. 14/15 Weber State in what is arguably the premier FCS matchup of the season's fourth week... This will be the ninth meeting between the Aggies and the defending Big Sky champs, and the second within a span of 196 days.

Who: Weber State
When: Saturday, Sept. 25 • 5 p.m. PDT
Where: Ogden, Calif.
Venue: Stewart Stadium (17,500)
Live Stats: SIDEARM Stats
Listen: Sports 1140 on Varsity Network app
Watch: ESPN+ (Direct Link)

UC DAVIS LAST WEEK
UC Davis amassed 380 rushing yards and posted five interceptions in a 60-27 win over Dixie State in Saturday's home opener... The point total marks the No. 8 best scoring output in school history and the second highest of the program's Division I era, trailing only the 73-24 victory over Cal Poly last spring... The five INTs is the highest since October 19, 1985 in a 27-8 win at Chico State... With the 53-7 win at San Diego the week before, UC Davis tallied 113 total points in the last two games... It marks the first time the Aggies have enjoyed consecutive 50-plus games since the 2000 season, when the J.T. O'Sullivan-led offense posted totals of 55, 59, 56 and 53 in a four-game stretch from Sept. 30 through Oct. 21.

RB Ulonzo Gilliam, Jr. totaled 178 rushing yards for his No. 2 best game, trailing only the 242 at Portland State on Nov. 9, 2019... It marks his 11th career 100-yard rushing game, and his 18th career game with at least 100 combined yards from scrimmage... Gilliam also tied his career best of three rushing TDs, while his four overall scores set a new personal record... He was one of three playres to earn CFPA National Performer of the Week honorable mention, along with Campbell's Wiley Hartley and Rhode Island's Kasim Hill... Eastern Washington QB Eric Barriere was the overall winner.

GIVE AND TAKE
The five interceptions against the Trailblazers boosted the team's turnover margin to +8, putting the Aggies in a four-way tie for tops in the FCS... Campbell, Stephen F. Austin and Villanova also are in the black by eight... UC Davis and 'Nova also share the national lead with eight interceptions... Note: the NCAA statistics website still shows UC Davis as +7, as a glitch with the new software does not include Chris Venable's forced fumble at Tulsa... Six of the Aggies' eight picks have resulted in scoring plays... See Page 18 of the official game notes for a summary of all giveaways and takeaways of the 2021 season.

Nickelback Jaylin White and safety Chris Venable each had two interceptions in the game, while Algery McGuire added the fifth... White and Venable join Isaiah Thomas and Devon King among current Aggies who have enjoyed two-INT games... Thomas did it against USD in 2019, King achieved the feat at Montana in 2018... For the record, the school record for interceptions in a game came on October 29, 1977 at Santa Clara... Oddly, one of the UC Davis players to record a pick was also named Venable: Darrel Venable, who played that season only.

A LONG, LONG WAY TO RUN
Following Dixie State's first touchdown, Lan Larison returned a kickoff 80 yards before being chased down by Tyrell Grayson at the DSU 20... That marks the first time an Aggie has had a non-scoring play of 80 yards or more since Ryan Ramey ran a kickoff from the Aggie 1-yard-line to the opposite 1 in the 2004 Causeway Classic... Larison's 80-yard kickoff return and Trent Tompkins' 85-yard punt return at San Diego gives UC Davis a pair of 80-plus plays through three games... Only two Aggie teams had three of such length... The 2004 squad had the Ramey 98-yard kickoff return, a Jesse Oliva 85-yard punt return and an 84-yard TD pass from Jon Grant to O.J. Swanigan... Three years later, UC Davis matched the feat: an 87-yard interception TD by Adam Cook, an 88-yard touchdown run from receiver Kale Turner and an 88-yard TD scamper from Joe Trombetta.

OPPORTUNITIES KNOCKED
UC Davis converted 8 of 9 red-zone opportunities against Dixie State, with the only missed chance coming after the Lan Larison 80-yard kickoff return... The Aggies are now 14-for-16 on such chances, with nine TDs and five FGs... In contrast, the UC Davis defense has only allowed opponents to reach the 20 eight times in 2021... Oddly, the Aggies had the fewest number of offensive red zone situations at San Diego, thanks to six touchdowns of 20 yards or more in that win (see MAKING BIG PLAYS in the Game 3 notes). 

MOVING ON UP
RB Ulonzo Gilliam, Jr. jumped to fourth on the school's career all-purpose yardage list... He amassed 198 yards from scrimmage in Saturday's win over Dixie State, raising his total to 3,645 and moving him past Ronnie Austin (3,526 from 1977-80), Artemus Jones (3,562 from 1996-99) and Preston Jackson (3,582 from 1991-93)... Gilliam remains fourth in career rushing with 2,830 yards, but he closed the gap on No. 3 Austin (2,968)... Only G.P. Muhammad (3,589 from 1995-98) and Jackson (3,325) have broken the 3,000-yard barrier in career rushing... Gilliam also entered into a three-way tie for third with 28 career rushing TDs, joining Muhummad and Jermaine Rucker (28, 1995-96)... He will need 10 to match Matt Brown (1998-2000) and 12 to tie Jackson's school record.

Jones, a.k.a. RT, also slipped a spot on the career punt returns list thanks to Isaiah Thomas... The safety and co-captain had a 31-yard punt return against Dixie State to raise his career total to 529, eclipsing Jones' total of 507... Thomas' next targets are Mike Ichiyama (641 from 1992-94) and Glenn Adriatico (656 from 1999-2002).

Both Gilliam and WR Jared Harrell are within striking range of entering the Aggies' career top 10 in receptions... Harrell enters Saturday's game with 134 catches while Gilliam has 130... Brandon Rice (2005-08) holds the No. 10 spot of the career receptions list at 136... Harrell also knocks on the door of the career receiving yards list with 1,874, 63 behind former CFL veteran Bakari Grant (1,937 from 2006-09). 

GOING FOR TWO
Through three games, UC Davis has already attempted four two-point conversions, with QB Trent Tompkins involved in all four... He has run for two and passed for one (to Garren O'Keefe)... While an official school record for such plays does not exist, records dating back to 1964 show the following program highs: the 1967 (3-for-8), 1991 (4-for-8) and 1993 (6-for-8) teams had the most attempted conversions, with that 1993 squad owning the benchmark for most successful tries... Shaun Ayers scored three in 1991 for the individual best... However, UC Davis archives are incomplete, with the number of attempts missing from final reports throughout the 1970s and 1980s; and no individual info prior to 1964. 

WEBER STATE LAST WEEK
The Wildcats hold one of the most misleading 1-2 records in football, having opened their 2021 season at FBS No. 24 Utah, then battled FCS No. 2 James Madison to a 37-24 loss last weekend in their home opener... RB Josh Davis was one of five Weber State players to earn preseason All-America honors, then later made the 35-man watch list for the Walter Payton Award... However, Dontae McMillan leads the WSU ground game with 194 yards, thanks to the 151 he put up against Dixie State on Sept. 11... McMillan was the Co-Freshman of the Year in the Big Sky Conference last spring, sharing the honor with Aggie D-lineman Chubba Maae.

NEW COVID POLICIES
Looking ahead to the October 2 home game against Idaho, UC Davis announced on Tuesday a new COVID policy taking effect with that contest... All guests aged 12 and up must show proof of vaccination or results of a negative test administered within 72 hours prior to kickoff... Proof of vaccination can include a completed CDC vaccination card, or a State of California digital COVID-19 record (e.g. SMART Health Card)... The policy includes game staff and media members... Face coverings will still be required for all indoor spaces, including restrooms, and will be encouraged for all patrons when social distancing is not possible... Anyone in close contact to coaches and student-athletes – including sideline personnel and media on the field – must be masked at all times... Additionally, the field will be closed to fans during and after the game... A full summary of all gameday policies and procedures can be found at https://ucdavisaggies.com/feature/footballgameday.

For more information, roster, stats, depth chart, visit the full set of notes here.